Lithe
by HollyPotter28
Summary: A letter from Adromeda leaves Bellatrix in tears - but how will Narcissa react?


**Lithe**

Narcissa Malfoy glided into the dining hall. Her sister, a heavy lidded and dark haired woman, sat at the only table in the room. Her ivory ringlets hung limp over her pale face which was emitting a grim rattling noise.

"Bella," stated Narcissa cautiously; to which her sister's body ceased trembling suddenly and her breathing became rapid and heavy.

"Cissy," she said in a hoarse reply from beneath the ringlets.

"Look at me." Narcissa told her, her voice cold but cautious still.

Nothing happened.

"_Bella_!" said Narcissa; as if she were scandalized by her sister's lack of action.

The dark ringlets that covered Bellatrix's face were thrown outward as she stood up at speed, knocking over the wiry chair that she had been perched on.

Her face was red and blotchy, the white in her black eyes crimson with bloodshot.

"Is this what she wanted, Cissy?" she screeched, gesturing to a scrap of blotched parchment on the table, Narcissa glided over and snatched it up in her long, bony fingers. She read it out aloud.

_Dearest Cissy and Bella,_

_I know you have not heard from me in a while, but I hope you have been as well as I have._

_You may remember my last letter, informing you of the birth of Nymphadora, well she has grown up and has recently married Remus Lupin, an ex-teacher of defence against the dark arts at Hogwarts. They are expecting a child soon! Very fast, I must admit but these are dark and pitiful times._

_Alas, of course you know we are at war - how could you not? Anyway, the recent genocide of muggle-borns has resulted in the kidnap and death of my husband, Ted. But, of course dear sisters! Of course you know! Why, you may have even been present - killed him yourself even!_

_But, I ask you: would you kill Nymphadora, Remus or even their unborn child? Would you even commit worse: would you have killed me? Be present and watch as I died? You may falter at these questions, but I assure you this: you are no sisters of mine._

_I tried, Cissy, when you married Lucius, to tell you that the world was safer on our side. You-know-who was getting bigger, more powerful and we could keep you safe, keep you away from those dark Dementors that Bella feared so much._

_Yes, Bella. I know how you feared those dark creatures that you and your husband eventually succumbed to in Azkaban. I know how you cried when their dark kisses loomed in your dreams; I know how they torment you still, even with them under your master's control._

_You cannot even comprehend how disgusted I am with both of you and your actions. How could you?! How dare you!? I cannot even fathom the love inside of me to forgive you, so I must do this; if I had one of those blasted family tapestries that Mother loved so dearly, there would be two massive singed holes where your faces would've hanged._

_I am taking you out of my family._

_Andromeda Tonks, proud member of the Order of the Phoenix._

There were no kisses on the end, and her writing got rougher as her anger progressed. There were inkblots and smudges all over, she seemed to have written this either quickly or very angrily; though most probably both.

"Cissy - are you okay?" said Bella softly, the anger gone from her bony cage. Narcissa had gone very still. She was staring at the parchment with piercing eyes, as if she could destroy the words it read with mere sight.

"Fine." she answered in monotone, and in one swift, lithe movement she tore the letter in two.

"_Cissy!" _gasped Bella, reaching out to the two pieces as they floated to the floor, but Narcissa's sharp fingers stopped her.

"No, Bella. We can't have feelings about this." But Bella had already sunk to the floor, hastily trying to fix the two pieces back together. "Bella we've already disowned her, many years ago. She can't disown us!"

"No, Narcissa,_ mother_ disowned her. I never wanted her to leave, she's our little sister! Not a piece of dirt!"

"Bella, she's nothing to us! Mother forbids it!"

"Mother is dead, Narcissa." Bella spat at her her harshly, and tears sprung from the blonde's eyes. Bella picked up the two pieces of parchment and spun out of the darkening room, leaving a sobbing Narcissa sinking to the floor.

A few miles away, in a safe-house, Andromeda Tonks was doing exactly the same.

* * *

"Morning mum." said Dora sleepily. She picked up the old kettle and poured some tea into her 'World's best Auror' mug, from which she took a small sip to check the heat. She walked slowly around the kitchen counter, sleep still clouding her mind and senses. Her hair was a calm rose, but it was getting brighter with every sip of tea that she drunk. Andromeda still hadn't answered her. She was sitting on the edge of her chair, reading a small piece of parchment over and over again, as if the small, short words didn't make sense.

"What've you got there, mum?" asked Dora, once she'd woken up enough to get her brain to start working.

"Just a, um, note from the meeting, dear." Andromeda answered quite slowly, her azure eyes not moving from the parchment.

"Ooh, I can help you!" said Dora happily, as since she'd become pregnant, nobody wanted her to do anything for The Order.

_"No, Tonks. Just go and rest."_ They'd always say.

She reached out for the parchment that was clenched tightly in her mother's petite fingers; but it was snatched away.

"No, no dear." Andromeda shook her head, folded the parchment and stood up, "Nothing you need to worry about." she gave Dora a little smile before turning to go upstairs into her room.

Andromeda slowly perched down on her side of the bed and she looked over to the other side with watery eyes. Ted's side had stayed exactly the same from when he left it the morning he'd run away. The pillow was folded in the way he always liked to sleep on it, the crumpled bed sheets still left a shadow of his figure and his stained blue blanket was scrunched in a ball where he'd held it in a fist during his terrible nightmares. Andromeda had hoped that he would return and sleep again in the bed, but he had gone, and now the fading shadow was the last she had left of him.

She reached over and placed a hand where his chest would've been.

"Don't worry, love. I'll handle it."

**A/N** Written for the Dictionary Challenge in HPFC. Hope you enjoyed! What's that? You want to leave a review that would make me the happiest person in the world? **GO FOR IT **_please_

__**P.S** If you want me to write another chapter say in your review :)

__Always,

Holly x


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